french ninja wrote:
So many distractions: college, other games, family, but I hope to finally get back into the swing of things after almost a year hiatus. I probably have half a dozen unfinished books that have been laying dormant way too long.

This particular book would be found pretty much everywhere, but especially in Imperial buildings

The Political Hierarchy of Skyrim
by Lareus Beredi, Scholar of the Imperial Library

Long Life to our Sovereign, Pelagius the Fourth, Emperor of Tamriel, Blessed One of the Nine Divines, Sustainer of Prosperity! Bringer of Justice to the Seditious!

In the year of Akatosh, 3E 362, I have been given the honorable task of documenting the political landscape of the Fatherland of Man, Skyrim, for the education of Imperial envoys, diplomats and chartered merchants. In doing so I hope to foster greater understanding between our two great people united under the Dragon Banner.

As per nord tradition, the greatest possible authority in Skyrim is the title of High King. However, due to unstable and frequent transfers of power between the Holds , it is more often than not that the title of High King is an unclaimed entity. As a result, it would be better for the reader to imagine Skyrim as not one unified monarchy but of nine autonomous kingdoms, each swearing fealty to our Emperor.

As of this writing, there are nine kings, each for the nine Holds of Skyrim: Haafingar, the Reach, Falkreath, Northshore, Whiterun, The Pale, Winterhold, Eastmarch, and the Rift. The selection of a king is dependant on what hold it is. The eastern Holds typically follow Absolute Primogeniture succession, where power is transferred to the previous king's eldest child, while in the western Holds it is decided in an event called a Kingsmoot. The Kingsmoot is an affair most Nordic, where every man or woman can travel to the capital and boast their prestige, battle prowess, virility, and wisdom and why they should become king surrounded by their peers, full of roasted meat, sweet mead, and threats of duels and fist fights.

Below the kings are the jarls, who rule over wide tracks of land called jarldoms and are similar to Cyrodiil's own Counts. Jarls are chosen directly by the king and their holdings are split among their children at death, with the jarldom passing to the eldest child. A good amount of jarls can trace their heritage back to the 500 Companions. The jarl typically chooses the most prosperous or fortified town as his seat of power.

Beneath the jarls are thanes, minor nobles who preside over the small towns and villages. In some cases, the position of thane is honorary and there is no bestowment of lands.

Housecarls
At this time I would like to discuss another important part of nordic politics: the Housecarl. The Housecarl is no mere bodyguard, but is more like the House Guards of the Nibenay valley; a de-facto member of the family. Indeed, it is not unheard of for Housecarls to be adopted into the noble family or even marry into one, such as the famed King Hrodebert Ironheart and his housecarl Queen Mildres.